The Other Wes Moore

Inmate

1975

The Inmate Wes Moore was born on this day.“Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways.”(Moore, 1)

Author

Oct 15, 1978

The author Wes Moore was born."My first name,Westley, is my father's. I have two middle names, a compromise between my parents." (Moore,6)

Author

1982

Gets in trouble by his mother, because he hits his sister." I told you don't you ever put your hands on a women... Wes, he needs to learn what is acceptable and what is not!" (Moore 5-6).

Author

1982

His father died , because the hospital didn't treat him and instead sent him home."He lay in the casket with his eyes closed...He looked at peace." (Moore,15)

Inmate

1982

Wes meets his father for the first time , and does not know who he is."A man sat on the couch leaning precariously to the side... The strong smell of whiskey wafted from his clothes and his pores.... 'Wes, meet your father.'"

Author

1984

Moves to the Bronx with his grandmother , so his mom can get back on her feet."We were actually leaving Maryland" (Moore,37)

Inmate

1984

Wes gets in a fist fight ,and pulls a knife out.He ends up getting arrested."A few weeks earlier I had been suspended for fighting" (Moore,50)

Author

1984

Gets suspended for fist fight."A few weeks earlier I had been suspended for fighting" (Moore,50)

Author

1984

Goes to Riverdale and starts acting out ,because he feels like he doesn't fit in."I was very lost during that period," Wes says. "I found myself quickly becoming too rich for the kids in the neighborhood and too poor for the kids at school."

Author

1984

Gets put on academic probation, because he was not going to school. "My mother had begun to threaten me with military school if I didn't get my grades and discipline together." (Moore,54)

Inmate

1987

Starts selling drugs ,and repeats the 6th grade.“You want one of these,it’s pretty easy. All you have to do is wear one, and every time you see jakes roll by, you just push this button and say something. When your shift is over, you come by, and I’ll
give you your money,” he said. Money? Wes just wanted to get his hands on one of the headsets. There was money
involved too?

Author

1989

Wes gets arrested for the first time because he got caught tagging a wall with his friend Shea, but neither of them end up getting charged, only lectured by officers to change their ways. "As I lay on the hoof of the car,with the officer's hands pressing against every part of me,searching me" (Moore,81)

Inmate

1990

His mother and brother realize Wes was selling drugs.“Not only did you lie to me but you were selling drugs and keeping them in my house! Putting all of us in danger because of your stupidity. I don’t want to hear your sob story about how much money you owe. You will stop selling that stuff. I will be checking your room, and I don’t want to ever see it in here again. Now get out of my room.”

INmate

1991

Stops going to school.¨Wes went back to school immediately after leaving the juvenile detention facility, the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson. He enrolled at Lake Clifton High School in East Baltimore but knew pretty quickly that he would not last long. He was two years older than the other kids in his grade from repeating a grade and losing time locked up.¨

Inmate

1991

Wes has a baby with Alicia ,and gets arrested for a shoot out.Tony was smirking, but when he caught the weight of his brother’s voice, his face became serious. “What’s going on, man? You know I won’t tell her.” “Alicia’s pregnant. Like three months.”

Author

1991

Gets sent off to Military school , because of his behavior.“Wes, you are not going anywhere until you give this place a try. I am so proud of you and your father is proud of you. We just want you to give this a shot. Too many people have sacrificed in order for you to be there.”(Moore, 95)

Inmate

1994

Gets arrested for selling to cop.“I don’t know who it was that told
me, but if you give me twenty dollars, you can go over to that phone booth and they said you would be taken care of.” The man nodded as his eyes met Wes’s. As Wes took the money, their hands touched brieɻy. The man’s hands were smooth, and his nails were clean.

Inmate

1998

Graduates Job Corps ,but goes back to drug game."Wes, by contrast, finished near the top of his class. He completed the course work and received his GED a month later. He was already reading at the level of a sophomore in college.¨

Author

2000

To Wes' surprise, he gets accepted into John Hopkins University and receives scholarship money, despite his low SAT scores. " I knew that landing admission at Hopkins would be a stretch at best. But months later, I got the large package in the mail. Not only was I accepted but I would receive scholarship money."(Moore,160)

Inmate

2000

Wes was arrested for robbing jeweler and killing off-duty police officer. ¨Word spread quickly through the Baltimore City and County police departments about
the arrest. On the dispatch, a message scrolled across the top of the message board: 02.19/00, DUNDALK DISPATCH ADVISED THAT BOTH OF THE MOORE BROTHERS ARE UNDER ARREST IN PHILADELPHIA!¨